Ph. Dialogue「博士人材セミナー」は、Ph. Discover連携企業からゲストを迎え「博士課程修了者が企業でどのように活躍しているのか」「企業は博士人材に何を求めているのか」についてお話していただき、後半はゲストと学生が対話を通して交流する企画です。4回目は吉田智一さん、足立暁子さん、櫻井捺加さん（シスメックス株式会社）をお迎えしたPh. Dialogueの紹介です。

Global development and provision of blood test equipment

This is Yoshida from Sysmex. After obtaining a doctorate in School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy, I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, and after working for a company called Novartis, I came to Sysmex. I've been doing research all my life. Currently serving as Senior Executive Officer (at that time) at Sysmex.

「ヘルスケアの進化をデザインする」、シスメックスがどんな会社かが一番よくわかるのがこの一文です。

Now let me explain what we are actually doing. Sysmex is a company that specializes in counting and measuring tissues in blood. Red blood cells and white blood cells in the blood, as well as viruses that are currently a problem, proteins, genes, and cancer cells. I am developing equipment and reagents that can accurately measure such things, and designing IT that manages the quality of measurement results. Sysmex products are currently used in more than 190 countries and regions around the world, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In addition to the market, we also have global research and development bases, mainly in the United States and Europe. We have many research partners overseas. On the other hand, in Japan, we have research and development bases mainly in Kobe, Kawasaki, and Saitama. I am currently at the research and development base in Kobe. We are doing interesting things, such as making products from research and development, and also making materials together. I assume that you are conducting research using existing experimental equipment and off-the-shelf reagents. However, at my base in Kobe, we make our own equipment and reagents.

Technology is created by cooperating with many people inside and outside the company in many fields
In the field of research and development, specialists in a truly diverse range of fields are needed. Since the test objects are human blood, urine, etc., it is suitable not only for biological people, but also for chemical people who think about fluorescent substances and reactive substances, people who make machines, people who specialize in detection technology using light and electricity, and people who specialize in mechanical engineering. There are people who make software that controls . Such specialists work together to create new technologies. In addition to working within Sysmex, we also work with external organizations and companies. In 2020, I interviewed over 160 partners. I think it is one of the things that can only be experienced in a company to advance research while interacting with many people inside and outside the company.

Previous research - Detecting Alzheimer's dementia with a blood test -
While collaborating with many people, for the past few years I have been focusing on establishing a technology that quantifies various information about blood and uses it for medical treatment. I would like to be able to understand what kind of disease and what is happening in the body from the cells in the blood, and use it in the medical field.

One example is Alzheimer's disease. In Japan, if dementia is diagnosed through an interview, expensive imaging tests and cerebrospinal fluid tests are performed to check whether it is Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. is taking place. Still not sure exactly. Therefore, there is a demand for a testing environment that can determine whether a person really has Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, we are proceeding with research to enable a blood test that is cheaper than imaging tests and less invasive ^* than cerebrospinal fluid tests, suggesting the possibility of detecting Alzheimer's disease in blood tests using Sysmex equipment. it was done.

＊低侵襲的（ていしんしゅうてき）とは、「生体を傷つけないような」という意味で、 できるだけ身体に負担を与えない検査のことです。

Future research - Protein detection -
One of the things I want to study in the future is protein detection. There is a method that utilizes the specific binding of antibodies to target antigens to detect proteins. However, that method has been in use since about 1960, so I would like to replace it with a newer technology.

Because this old technology only tells you if the protein is there or not. I would like to further improve the detection performance, and I am taking on the challenge of prototyping an optical detection method using Raman spectra, which can indicate various characteristics of substances by wavelength. There are still various issues to be solved, but we can obtain a lot of information about substances, so we are proceeding in the direction of approaching from databases and deep learning.

Aiming for personalized medicine that is specialized for each individual
Another major theme for future research and development is the use of the popular DX (digital transformation) in medicine. The human body is well made and has a mechanism to eliminate viruses even if they enter to some extent. The mechanism is actually different for each person. Our ultimate goal is personalized medicine that considers individual differences and provides optimal treatment by continuously analyzing individual data.

コミュニケーションタイム

I am able to compete in the world because I had a good starting point
Q:Please tell us about the background to Sysmex's ability to compete globally.

Yoshida: Sysmex was established just when the universal health insurance system started, and the founder thought that testing would become important in the future. At that time, the most popular test was a blood test. The method was like a person looking through a microscope and counting the items one by one. In addition, blood tests are the same everywhere in Japan, the United States, China, Czechoslovakia, and are methods that are accepted worldwide. Therefore, we created precision equipment in Japan, and then created high-quality reagents to deliver accurate counting results, and expanded our sales channels to the world. The reason why I became able to compete in the world is that my point of view was good.

say what you want in your own words
Q:When hiring, it seems that students are strongly asked if the specialized knowledge they have learned so far will be useful to the company.

Adachi: In addition to expertise, we also place importance on whether or not people agree with the direction Sysmex is aiming for. If you don't agree with each other's values, there will be situations where things don't go well as you work.

吉田：一方、私も面接官をしますが、ホームページにある情報をそのまま話される方は印象に残りません。自分が何をやりたいか、きちんと伝えることが大切だと思います。「御社の実績の他に、新たにこういうこともできる」とか、自分の言葉でアピールしていただけると、面接官は採用したいという気持ちが働きます。

Q:As a doctoral student, there are rare cases where you receive a job offer but do not receive your degree in time for the month you plan to complete your degree.

Adachi: Yes. In that case, I will consult with the person and decide what to do.

Q:Is the starting salary different for doctoral and master's graduates?

Adachi: Under the current system, the starting salaries for doctoral and master's graduates are the same, but from 2020 we have adopted job-specific hiring. It is a so-called job type, and it is a work style that allows you to choose a job based on your specialty and become an expert in that job. We will be looking into whether or not to increase the salary according to the job, as we will be hiring highly specialized people.

Mathematics majors are popular
Q:I am currently majoring in mathematics. Are there any cases where mathematics majors find employment at Sysmex, and if so, how are you involved in research and development?

Yoshida: Those who specialize in mathematics can be active in medical statistics. There are many people who have studied statistics, but very few people understand the basics of mathematical statistics. I think that mathematics specialists who can think from the basics of algorithms and deep learning are in high demand. In Sysmex's research and development, you will join the informatics and data science groups.

Create your own career after joining the company
Q:In academia, I have an image that after working as a postdoctoral researcher, you become independent as a senior researcher and become a managerial position. On the other hand, what kind of career do people who have joined a company after graduating from a doctoral course look like in the long run?

Yoshida: People with doctoral degrees naturally have an advantage. You will be involved in various projects as a researcher in an area where you can make the most of your strengths. There are various destinations. As a researcher, there are ways to become a senior researcher who has a broader view of a certain area, or a position where you can see multiple projects cross-sectionally. In addition, there are people involved in regulatory science ^* who think about the basis of quality evaluation, people who do administrative work such as research management and line management, and people who do work that thinks about what kind of technology will be necessary in the future. increase. It's better to forge your own career path than follow the company's instructions on where to go.

＊レギュラトリーサイエンスとは「科学技術の成果を人と社会に役立てることを目的に、根拠に基づく的確な予測、評価、判断を行い、科学技術の成果を人と社会との調和の上で最も望ましい姿に調整するための科学」（第4次科学技術基本計画 平成23年8月19日閣議決定）とされています。

Q:Is such a thing possible?

Yoshida: Researchers basically have to be able to assert themselves. There are times when HR takes care of things, but I think there is a way to build a career as long as you insist that you want to do it. If you can't accept the corporate culture, you can quit, and starting a venture from there is one career. There are many ways to do it. Please walk strongly with your own will.

Launch: February 8, 2021
Organizer: Ph. Discover
Co-organizer: Hokkaido UniversityFaculty of Science/Hokkaido University Center for Mathematics and Data Science (Data-related Human Resource Development Program) / Hokkaido University Doctoral Program for Materials Science Leading Program